In a Heartbeat (Heartbeat #1) (4 page)

“She wanted to call you, too.”

That did it. Tears spilled from Niki’s eyes and she brushed them off with the back of her hand.

“She’s forgiven you.”

Niki exhaled a deep breath and nodded. “She’s always been the bigger person.”

“It’s not about that, Aunt Niki. Everyone deals with tragedy differently. My mum wanted to stay in her house precisely because it held so many memories. You wanted to get away – that was your way. Don’t feel guilty that you did what you had to do for you and your daughter.”

Niki was still crying silently and didn’t respond.

“The important thing is that all of us – we’re almost back to normal now. We’ll never be the same as we once were, but we’ve managed to piece our lives back together. We didn’t fall apart.”

“When did you get so smart and mature?” Niki asked, through her tears.

When I had to deal with losing my father and brother, as well as cancer. It does that to a person.

Instead she said, “When you’re ready, reach out to her. See what happens.”

Niki nodded as Stella hugged her. They stayed like that longer than necessary, needing each other’s support.

“So, the dishes are done. Where’s Lisa’s studio? I’d love to see her paintings,” said Stella, to break the tension and change the subject.

“I’m afraid you can’t. She’s very private about it; no one is allowed inside – not even me.”

“You’ve never seen any of her paintings?”

“Oh, I have. The ones she chooses to show me. Come, I’ll show you, I’ve got them all hung up.”

Stella had just finished talking to her mother on Skype when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door.

“Come in.”

“Hi.” Lisa slipped in, already in her pyjamas, and sat on the bed next to her cousin.

“I saw some of your paintings. They are amazing, Lis. I can’t believe how talented you are.”

Lisa smiled and nodded, but didn’t say anything. Which, knowing her as well as Stella did, meant she didn’t want to discuss it any further.

The hell she doesn’t.

“So what’s up with that super-secret studio of yours?”

“It’s not super-secret; I just don’t like anyone to see what I’m working on before I’m finished and satisfied with the result.”

That sounded very reasonable and convincing. The trouble was, Stella didn’t believe that was the only reason, as it just wasn’t like Lisa to keep secrets. Yeah, she was moody and tended to drift off into her own world sometimes, but she was an artist. It came with the territory.

Sighing, Stella decided to let it go for now. After all, it was their first evening together.

“Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?” Lisa asked.

“Of course not,” said Stella, and scooted off to the end of the bed.

“It’s just that tomorrow morning I have to be at the gallery and won’t be able to see you until late in the afternoon.” She sounded guilty and conflicted – it was obvious Lisa loved what she did, but at the same time she felt bad for not spending every second with Stella after they hadn’t seen each other in five years. But that wasn’t the only reason; Stella suspected her cousin was also worried about her because of her illness.

“Don’t worry, Lis. I don’t expect you to drop everything because of me. I’ll be fine – I’ll go for a run on the beach in the morning and then I might take a stroll around town.”

When Lisa didn’t say anything, Stella continued, “I’m
fine
. I haven’t felt better in months. I’m ecstatic that I’m here. I’m going to have a great time this summer. So stop feeling bad for ‘ditching’ me – I’m anything but ditched.” That made Lisa laugh, just as Stella had anticipated.

“OK. But in the afternoon when I come back, I’ve invited everyone over to meet you.”

“Sounds great.”

They talked till the middle of the night, attempting to go to sleep several times, but unable to let go of each other’s company. In the end, Lisa couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep while Stella talked about her obsession with True Blood.

Soon, she drifted off herself, smiling at the vision of the wonderful summer ahead of her. The last thing that popped into her mind before she lost conscious thought was that hot lifeguard.

I wish I could see him again. Just once.

Chapter Three

Genoa in the morning was breathtaking. Although it was hot, the heat didn’t press on your body like a giant vacuum. The air felt fresh and smelled of salt, sea, coffee and something else Stella couldn’t place. Something unique to this city.

It was relatively quiet; not too many people were out still. Even though it was past 8 o’clock, the streets were just waking up. Lisa had told her that Italians were not early risers, unless they absolutely had to be. They preferred to sleep late in the mornings and work late at night. That suited Stella just fine – she didn’t
like
to get up early, but found it hard to fit her daily run in during any other time of the day. Keeping as healthy as she possibly could was her top priority and what took her out of her warm bed in the morning.

Running in London had been a chore. Running in Genoa – not so much. Not at all, actually. Stella didn’t even need her earphones to fill her head with music and silence all other noise, because the noise in question was wonderful. She reached the beach and couldn’t imagine anything more perfect – the sand was silky and freshly cleaned; the water was sparkling under the sun; and, best of all – there was nobody around. Taking her shoes off, she hid them under a bench, hoping nobody would steal them or throw them away, and took off barefoot in the direction of the sea.

After some light stretching, Stella started a gentle jog to warm up her muscles. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face – how perfect was this? In a few minutes, she picked up her pace until she was running at a comfortable speed – not too slow, but not so fast as to leave her breathless. She’d never bothered with watches and pedometers, so she didn’t know what her speed was exactly or how long she ran for every day. She did it until she felt it was enough.

Looking around, Stella didn’t see anyone in front or behind her, so she decided she could goof around a bit. She couldn’t wait to jump in the water – so she did. She chased the waves, kicked at the sea, splashed her leggings and T-shirt with water, while still trying to keep up with her running.

This is amazing!
Stella thought.

She hadn’t felt this happy in a long, long time.

For some reason, her brain associated the word ‘happy’ with her lifeguard, as she was used to calling him now, and the vision of him walking out of the water overshadowed all her other thoughts. Shaking her head and trying to stay focused on her run, Stella took a deep breath and continued jogging along the shore, keeping a straight line and not getting distracted by the waves. Mostly.

That was when she saw him. Her lifeguard. Jogging. Coming right towards her.

Her first reaction was to panic. She had dreamed about him and prayed to see him again. But now that he was right in front of her, she wasn’t sure that was such a good idea.

He had black shorts on and nothing else. The muscles on his chest, arms and shoulders flexed with every step he took. The tattoo on his hip moved in sync with his body and at that moment all Stella wanted to do was yank his shorts down and explore it. With her mouth.

The closer he got, the more nervous she became, her stomach feeling as if she was growing the Alien inside and it was getting ready to burst out. Realising she was staring open-mouthed – again – Stella tried to purse her lips together, because he was a mere few metres away now.

Sharp pain pierced her right foot and she fell down in agony. Not paying any attention to where she was running, she had stepped right on a huge, broken mussel shell. It was as sharp as a blade and it had sliced right into her foot. Blood started running down the sand as Stella tried to squeeze the wound and reduce the bleeding.

“
Stai bene
?” Stella heard his voice right next to her ear and it warmed the blood in her veins like a sip of a twenty-five-year-old whiskey. He was kneeling in front of her with a worried expression on his perfect face. Like a complete idiot, she was lost for words. His hazel eyes stared right at her, a few inches away from her face, the gold specks in them shining in the sun. His dark eyebrows were creased in concern, because she just sat there, looking at him, clutching her bloody foot and not saying anything. All her words had left her brain. She couldn’t even remember how to say ‘hello’ in Italian, let alone anything else. Good thing was, she could always blame it on the pain later.

“I think I cut my foot on that shell,” she pointed towards the offending shell.

“Let me see,” the lifeguard said, in perfect English, just the slight lilt of his words giving away that he was Italian.

Stella had never heard anything sexier.

She removed her hand from the cut and the blood ran freely on the sand. His expression didn’t give anything away as he examined her foot. Stella couldn’t care less about her stupid foot. He smelled incredible and his proximity clouded all her other senses, including her perception of pain. Without warning, he touched her near the wound and her body’s response was to jerk back and gasp.

“Sorry,” he said, fixing her apologetically with those incredible almond-shaped eyes. Stella couldn’t move, breathe or think.

What’s wrong with me?

“You’re in luck today,” he said, his lips spreading into a lazy smile. Stella’s heart stopped. It actually refused to beat for a few seconds. His smile was the epitome of charm – his upper incisors and canines were longer than his other teeth, but the unevenness of his smile only made it more alluring.

“I’m a lifeguard on that beach and my station is right over there,” he said and pointed to his right, the muscles along his arm stealing Stella’s attention.

So he doesn’t remember me from yesterday. Of course he doesn’t. He probably has girls staring at him all the time.

It still hurt a little.

“I have a first-aid kit over there, and I’m going to get it so that we can patch you up – OK?”

Stella nodded and, extending his body to its full length, the lifeguard walked towards his station. All she could do was gape after him, fully enjoying the rear view of him. The muscles on his bare back flexed under his skin and the grace with which he moved surprised Stella again. He must have been at least six foot two, and a man of his size and stature wasn’t supposed to move so fluently. Effortlessly.

At that moment, Stella was thankful for her cut. Life brought you happiness in unexpected ways. If she hadn’t stepped on that shell, they would have passed right by each other, probably never to meet again. Her foot would heal in a day or two, but his sexy voice and warm touch would stay with her forever.

*

“OK, give me your foot. I have to clean the wound before I put a bandage.” He knelt in front of her again and the girl extended her foot in his lap. Her skin was soft under his fingers and, unexpectedly, he wished he could touch more of her. Lying on the sand propped on her elbows, with her slim legs extended towards him, she was beautiful. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail and her face was fresh, without any make-up. Very sexy. Her huge grey eyes stared at him, ablaze.

“This will sting.” She nodded and he poured some hydrogen peroxide to clean the sand and remaining blood away and sterilise the wound.

A hiss escaped through her clenched teeth as her head fell backwards, her back arching, her belly flexing under her T-shirt. He knew she was in pain, but the view in front of him was so hot that his shorts suddenly became tighter at the front.

God, I hope she doesn’t notice or she might think I’m some kind of pervert, getting off on pain.

He didn’t know why it mattered what she thought of him, but it just did. Thankfully, he had worn his black shorts today and the colour would cover any evidence of
exactly
how much he liked her. Hopefully.

After the cut was cleaned, he bandaged it and helped her up onto her feet. The top of her head reached just below his collarbone and he couldn’t help but wonder how her lips would feel right there.

“
Grazie
,” she said and smiled. If he hadn’t been completely enthralled by her until now, her smile completely captivated him. It immediately reached her eyes and her whole face lit up. He had a feeling he knew her from somewhere, but it was unlikely. It was obvious she wasn’t a local and hadn’t even been here long, judging by her pale skin.

“Take care,” he said as he turned and jogged in the opposite direction. He had the nagging feeling that maybe he should have asked for her number. Or at least her name. But what would she think of someone who helped her out and then hit on her? He wasn’t going to abuse the situation and live up to the ‘Italian men’ reputation. At least, not now. But if he ever saw her again, God help him, he was going to do much more than ask for her name.

*

Take care?
Take care?
That was it?

Stella was too dumbfounded to react, but even if she wasn’t: what was she supposed to do? Run after him? She had more pride than that!

Yeah, right. That’s why I was ogling him like he was a piece of chocolate cake and I wanted to lick the icing.